Ten Sickles
by selenehekate
Summary: Oneshot. Lily is taken aback by an odd request from Regulus... And what do Sirius and James have to do with it?


"Excuse me, Miss Evans?"

Lily turned, her eyebrows raised in surprise at the high, childish voice calling her by such a formal name. Behind her stood Regulus Black, Sirius' little brother and a recent addition to the Slytherin house. She nodded politely. "Regulus," she said, giving the young boy a small smile. "Please, call me Lily." True, she had no great love for Sirius Black, but his brother looked so lost and unsure of himself...

"Okay Lily," he said, looking down at his feet as he spoke. Students passed by the pair, jostling them as they hurried towards their classes. "Um, see... I'm sorry to bother you. Do you need to leave, or-"

"No, it's fine," she said, frowning a bit. Why was this so hard for him? What did he want to say? Was he afraid of her? Did he think she was prejudiced against Slytherins? Hadn't he seen her spending time with Severus? He shouldn't be _nearly _this nervous. "You're fine, really. I have enough time to get to my next class. What is it?"

"It's just... I'm sorry, I know I'm awkward," he said, blushing slightly.

A wave of pity crashed over her. This poor uncomfortable child wasn't used to interactions with other people; that much she was certain of. "Don't worry about it," she said, lightly resting her hand on his arm. She remembered what it was like to be a first year, everything new, the older students appearing almost menacing. Of course he was nervous when talking to her.

His expression changed for a moment, his eyes twitching, but the look was gone before Lily could fully grasp what it was to begin with. Before she could wonder, however, he spoke. "Lily... It's February."

The redhead was taken aback. "Well... Yes."

"The middle of February," the preteen continued.

"And I'll repeat... Yes." A slight twinge of annoyance built up within her. Was he _ever _going to get around to asking her... well, whatever it was that he wanted to ask her? At this rate, she actually might be late to her next class...

Regulus sighed. "Look, I'm not good with this sort of stuff-"

"Really, now?" she said, her manner slightly dry. But she stopped herself before her snark could continue. He was a mere child, barely eleven. He was innocent, and he needed her kindness. "You're doing fine," she soothed, wondering just what he was apparently doing fine at. "Now then. What is it?"

He took a deep breath. "Will you please be my Valentine?"

Lily blinked, her mouth dropping open. "I- What?"

"Sirius told me about it," he said, shuffling his feet slightly as he refused to meet her surprised gaze. "It's apparently some muggle thing. I thought you'd know all about it-"

"I do," she interrupted. "I do, and that's really sweet of you Regulus-"

"But the answer's no," the little boy said, turning away from her to hide his face. "I get it. I'm sorry to bother you. I'll go away now."

"No," she said, lunging forward to grab his arm. She stepped closer, but he refused to turn around. She bit her bottom lip. He was so young, and she didn't want to scare him away from girls... "I will be. I'll be your Valentine."

He sniffed. "Really?" he asked, his back still to her. Lily could swear there was something else underneath that hopeful tone in his voice...

But she ignored it. "Really, Regulus."

"Good," he whispered. She smiled to herself; she'd done a good deed and made a little boy happy- All of a sudden, Regulus spun around, wrapping his arms firmly around her waist and planting his thin lips atop of her plump ones.

She shrieked in surprise, pulling back from him. "What-"

A grin had made its way onto his face, and it was then that Lily realized just what tone had been creeping up underneath his hopeful one: mischievous. He let out a small, cocky laugh. "Sorry Evans," he said, flashing her a quick smile. "It's nothing personal. You were just the target."

Her mouth dropped open, her eyes widening as his words hit her. "The targ- What on _earth-"_

But his eyes had fallen on a spot behind her, and when Regulus spoke again, he didn't address her. "Told you I could do it," he said smugly.

She turned around to see Sirius and James standing behind her, laughing silently to themselves. "Yes, yes," Sirius chuckled. "It appears you were right, baby brother. You're not quite as abysmal with the ladies as we'd previously assumed."

"Told you," Regulus repeated, holding out his hand. "Now that will be ten sickles."

Lily's eyes narrowed as James reached into his pocket. "You mean you _paid_ him to kiss me?"

"Not at all, Evans," James said, shaking his head. "We paid him to woo you. The kiss was, apparently, a bonus that he desired."

Lily scoffed, as Regulus winked up at her. "It was nice to see you Evans, but I really must be going," he said, before turning around and heading off down the corridor.

Lily scowled. "Ten sickles? Is that what I'm worth to you lot?"

"Of course not," James said, reaching up to smooth down his hair. "We actually tried to pay him less, but ten sickles was the lowest he'd go."

"Right shame, too," Sirius added. "Do you know how many Dungbombs that'd buy?"

She set her jaw, shaking her head. "Regulus has been hanging around _you_ much too often," she accused Sirius.

"Yes, well, this is the first time we've gotten along in years," he said, stepping around her. "We'll see how long this lasts."

"My money's on not very," James added, giving Lily a wink of his own. "Later, Evans."

As they traipsed away, the redhead couldn't help but glare down the corridor after them. What _nerve_ they had, using her for their amusement, as if she didn't have any feelings, or pride! She couldn't believe that she'd allowed herself to be used like that!

Well no more, she decided. From this day forward, she would have nothing to do with James Potter and Sirius Black. She didn't care how funny they were, or how special they made her feel. They were horrible, selfish people, and she didn't need to surround herself with the likes of them.

Determined, she set off down the hall after them, heading towards her charms class. Unconsciously, her fingers rose up to brush against her lips, tracing over the soft flesh there. Regulus had kissed her. Regulus had kissed her because of a game, but still... He was a sweet boy. A little arrogant, a little dark and a little caustic for his age, but sweet, nonetheless.

If only he hadn't stolen her first kiss.

* * *

Check out my new Pansy/Draco story Lies My Boyfriend Told Me! I hope you all enjoy it!

This was written for the 'Will You Be My Valentine?' Challenge on the HPFC Forum. The pairing I received with Regulus and Lily, and the prompt was first kiss. I hope you all enjoy this, and that you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it!

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciated it!

Lurve,

-Selene


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